The freshman congressmen clearly basked in the pomp and pageantry of the moment, taking the official oath of office and casting their first votes for House speaker — all part of a historic ritual that ushered in the 113th Congress.

“I was very proud to be sworn in to represent my hometown,” Castro said after the ceremony. “There was a lot of excitement in the air.”

Castro entertained family and friends at his new Capitol Hill office.

His brother, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, his mother, Rosie, and his girlfriend, Anna Flores, watched from the gallery as he took his House seat.

Mayor Castro said he was proud of his identical twin and predicted he'll make an excellent representative for San Antonio.

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The political landscape for San Antonio shifted in the past election, which followed an acrimonious redistricting that gave Texas three new congressional seats.

It also led to the defeat of Rep. Francisco Canseco, a Republican, by Gallego, a veteran in the state House.

Redistricting and the partisan battles also were cited by Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, a Democrat, who retired after 14 years in the House. Castro will replace Gonzalez.

Gallego and Castro will join Rep. Lamar Smith, a veteran Republican, and Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, and Austin Democrat Doggett as representatives for San Antonio.

Doggett, who begins his 10th term in a new district that stretches from his Travis County home southwest along Interstate 35 into downtown San Antonio, now will represent neighborhoods in a minority-majority district carved out by the state GOP-led Legislature with Latino Democrat support.

A total of 84 freshmen took seats in the new Congress, including eight from Texas.

Rep. Filemon Vela of Brownsville, a Democrat, will join the South Texas congressional delegation that also includes Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, and Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi.